When a storm is brewing, taking shelter could be the most dangerous move of all.
One careless, public sign of affection cost Daniel Pierce’s lover his life at the hands of a hate-filled mob. Grief-stricken, Daniel retreated from society to a sheep farm in the wilds of the north. Years later, Gregory Tobin erupts into his solitary life.
Sent to confirm the existence—or the death—of the Pierce family’s lost heir, Tobin isn’t sure he’s found the right man. The gruff, shaggy hermit calling himself Jacob Bennet bears little resemblance to photographs of the younger Pierce. Tobin needs more time to study his quarry.
With lambing season in full swing, Daniel grudgingly admits he could use an extra hand. Through a long, exhausting night, they parry back and forth as Tobin probes closer and closer to the truth. And something beyond casual attraction simmers between them.
They come together in a crash of desire, but ultimately Daniel must overcome the terrors of the past to reconcile the man he was with the man he’s becoming—a man capable of loving again.
In The Shepherd and the Solicitor, authors Summer Devon and Bonnie Dee effortlessly bring 1883 Yorkshire to life, allowing their readers to sink into many levels of society and culture of that age through their novel and characters. A lover of historic fiction, especially historic romance, that blurb attracted me with its wounded withdrawn main character and the man sent to find him and return him to society. The authors delivered not only on the promise of their synopsis but gave me a story that let me feel a part of a small community struggling for survival on the edge of a moor. Do I love this story? Oh, yes I do!
Let’s start with the characterizations first. Its the death of Daniel Pierce’s lover at a mob that the impetus for his flight. Wrong place, wrong time, one tiny gesture that gets noticed by the wrong person and a mob is ignited. Daniel barely escapes with his life, his lover perishes as a police officer watches. Emotionally destroyed, Daniel abandons everyone and everything he associates with his lover’s death and disappears.
When the story picks up the Board of Directors of the Pierce family firm is looking for the lost heir, He must be found so the company’s majority shares Daniel owns can be either sold or handled for control of the firm. The job is given to a young solicitor Gregory Tobin, a middle man in his firm, He considers this job tedious but intends to carry it out responsibility and throughly. And that and a slight clue has lead him to the wilds of Yorkshire, muddy roads and an almost inhabitable inn.
With each character (primary and otherwise), Devon and Dee set up their portraits complete with the correct set of clothing and footwear appropriate to their stations and lifestyles, their speech patterns matches their professions (lost and current), and even the books left scattered around Daniel/Jacob’s cottage is perfect for the times and education of the man in question. The authors don’t hit us over the head with their research but stash it away in the narrative in bits and pieces so we notice it as we would looking around someone’s room or house. It feels natural and believable.
A element I delighted in was the flocks of sheep and sheep dogs being raised by Jacob. The reader along with Gregory get quite the introduction into the rough life of a shepherd in 1883, from the exhaustion, pain, and joys of lambing to the bare minimum existence of Daniel/Jacob’s cottage. Through lively, vivid descriptions Gregory’s initiation into that life becomes ours as well, those passages making us laugh and often sniffle. When Gregory names a triplet of lambs after three solicitors in his office, his reasons and descriptions will sending you giggling. And when a ewe rejects her lamb and they desperately search for a solution, its feels raw, real and urgent .
That brings us to the element of romance. If you like your romance to be quick, hot and heavy, then this is probably not the romance story for you. Devon and Dee have made Daniel’s pain and trauma over the death of his lover palpable. That event caused him to totally withdraw from the world as he knew it, becoming someone totally different overtime. And time is what it takes for Gregory to start to break through those barriers and keep within the social restraints of the 1800’s respectability. Theirs is a slow build towards friendship and a romantic relationship. Its a tight balancing act, one that Daniel has lost once and is not sure he is brave enough to reach for again. I was deeply engaged in this romance and loved every slow step they took towards each other.
I even loved the ending, maybe the denouement was stretching it a little but by that time, I didn’t care whether it was as realistic as the rest of the story. I loved it and I loved the solution that the authors came up with for Daniel and Gregory, that was close to perfection.
I highly recommend this story. Even if you normally don’t read historic romance, you will love this couple and their story of love and devotion. Its heartwarming and beautifully written. I may not ever want to have lived in the 1800’s but through the writing of Summer Devon and Bonnie Dee, I feel as though I have visited there for a while. And had a wonderful time.
Cover artist Lea Kaye Suttle cover is lovely, a little old fashioned. I do wish there were some sheep on it.
Ewan is one of Boston’s leading genealogy experts. When a would-be bridegroom comes looking for confirmation that there are no skeletons in his ancestral closet, Ewan considers turning the job down. Trey is a jerk of the highest order and yet Ewan experiences an infuriating attraction that’s easy to justify. Trey’s exactly his type—a carbon copy of the man Ewan’s been looking for his entire life.
Harder to explain is the sense of recognition that leaves Ewan speechless the moment Trey steps into his office. Or the stomach-churning sensation at the thought of casting the job aside.
Trey gets more appealing by the day, leaving Ewan struggling with forbidden desire for his client. Desire not helped by strange voyeuristic dreams that have started to haunt his sleep. Dreams that appear to be an echo of the past…
Lovers Entwined by Lillian Francis is a moving, romantic story, one that I loved. Based on the belief that true love has no boundaries, even that of time, it follows the deep love of Ewan/Owen and Trey/Tristan through centuries of tragedies until we find their latest reincarnations in Ewan, a leading genealogist, and surfer/playboy Trey, a groom whose future father in law is looking for reasons for his daughter to dump him. Ewan has been hired to look into Trey’s family background for anything that could embarrass Trey’s fiance along with her father and his huge political aspirations. But what Ewan finds soon starts to bind Trey and Ewan together, as odd facts, places and names trigger nightmares and recollections they should not be having.
As Trey spends more time with Ewan, it ignites the flashbacks to the other couples they once were and the tragedies that ended their lives but never their love for each other. As each follow the other through death and time, the names change only slightly as does the location and Francis connects them all in a manner that is logical and meaningful. And heartbreaking. Prepare to have the tissues close by when each one meets their death once more. I was sobbing like mad several times in this story, even though I knew it was coming. But the power of the descriptions and the emotional strength of those moments won through and I was lost.
There are some important, believable secondary characters too. Trey’s grandfather, Pops, for one. I adored him. And his nurse. Much harder to understand was Trey’s fiance who was more of a one-note character. Her transformation from someone who Trey could love to the cold woman we met was never fully explained so she came off as just too one dimensional in a story with characters you believed in and a love that lasted through time.
Flashbacks can be a tricky thing, especially when going back not just one era but several. But Francis handles each flashback and couple almost as a separate story, giving them the attention each is due. She gives us a real connection to every reincarnation, and as that love is lost, all that affection and hope is transferred to the most recent couple…Ewan and Trey.
Lillian Francis is quickly becoming a “must read” for me. I loved her “Theory Unproven“, and now her “Lovers Entwined”. I highly recommend both of these stories and author Lillian Francis!
Cover art by Meredith Russell. This cover really works. It establishes the characters of Ewan and Trey as well as their counterparts of Owen and Tristan. I loved it.
Differences must be put aside when vengeance becomes all-consuming.
Anan, a spellweaver of the Talac people, returns from a hunting trip to find his village decimated, his mate dead, and everyone else captured by Varas slavers. The sole survivor is Terja, a young man without the velvet that covers most Talac, marking him as a spellspinner. Since Talac magic requires both a weaver and a spinner, Anan and Terja must move beyond their ingrained mistrust. All that remains is revenge and a desperate plan to rescue their tribesmen before they are sold to Varas pleasure houses. A goal Anan and Terja are willing to die for.
With the blessing of the Talac gods, they discover new and surprising ways to complement each other’s power. But as they race through terrain full of enemies and dangerous creatures to reach their people before they pass into Varas lands, they must take drastic steps to face the overwhelming odds against them. Understanding their connection might be their only hope.
What a wonderful debut novel from Jon Keys! The story was imaginative, heartbreaking, layered and beautifully developed. What a high mark to hit with your first book. But first a sentence or two about the power of a book cover. You see, it was that amazing Paul Richmond cover that caught my eye and made me want to read the blurb. Those eyes combined with the presence of skin marks and a web? Mysterious and compelling. I had to know more. What I found matched that powerful cover in every way.
Obsidian Sun by Jon Keys is a story told from multiple points of view (one of the only issues I have with the story). We start with Anan, a spellweaver of the Talac people coming home from a hunt to carnage. Anan’s village has been raided by the Varas people, the dwellings burned, the people horribly murdered except for those younger members taken for the slavery trade and for their velvet skin. Yes furred skin. The Talac, a semi-nomadic tribe, is a clan of furred individuals, with the exception of the hairless spellspinners. That marked velvet covering of their bodes makes them prized not only as sex slaves (it seems the Varas are addicted to sex with them) but they are skinned as well, various colors like golden velvet prized above all others. These facts reveal themselves slowly as Anan goes about the gruesome and heartbreaking business of checking the bodies and readying himself for the “release ritual”. But he’s not the only one left alive, there is one more person hidden away . Terja, a young spellbinder. Together they do what they know is required to release the souls of the dead and swear vengeance on the Varas traders.
Keys’ descriptions of Anan and Terja’s final sweep of their village and the scenes that follow are haunting, poignant, carrying a deep emotional impact that will stay with the reader. Yes, it had me in tears. It also serves to bring us immediately into this amazing world and the cultures of the people that live there.
There are at least two distinct cultures at war here…that we know of. But the one we immersed in completely, at first, is that of the Talac people. The Talac have several strata of tribes that make up the whole, that includes the Kuri tribes that follow the kuri animals much like some western American Indian tribes did the buffalo. The author weaves many Native American tools and beliefs here into his story. In one scene, Anan and Terja cook a stew using the Eastern Woodland Indian method of putting a hot rock inside the stew to cook from within inside of sitting a pot on the fire, handy when using bark containers inside of pottery. Bark is lightweight and easy to transport, not so much a heavy clay pot, something very important if you are a nomadic tribe. The use of native resources by Anan and Terja also echo the ways indigenous peoples all over the world use the land and animals around them. Its an element that flows through this story and it gives their universe both a familiar yet alien feel to it. This layering gives Obsidian Sun a realistic aspect to it that helps connect us to it and the characters.
That also brings us to spiders. I love spiders, all of them. Here the similarities also arise between spiders and the Talac. You can divide spiders into 2 types of carapace types. One is furred, some gorgeously so (like tarantulas and jumping spiders, which have all the colors of the rainbow and more patterns than you can imagine). Other’s have a hairless carapace that shines as though its been shellacked. Most orb weavers are of this type. That mimics the two skin types of the Talac. But it goes further with the Talac gods, and the Twined Beings, First Weaver and First Spinner, avatars to the Gods. They appear as humongous spiders. Spiders and weaving form the weft and warp of this story. From the religious rituals and cultures myths Jon Keys creates and then uses throughout his story to the weapons and fighting styles, Keys’ imagination and ability to translate those ideas into emotionally laden, action packed scenes and storylines is stunning. So is his love of and ability to use natural history to enliven and deepen his plot and characters. Nothing is left to chance, even the spider silk is used much like the silk worms are here, right down to the technique required. Really, its just amazing how well Keys meshes known natural history with his own creations.
There is a growing romance between Anan and Terja, brought on by need and circumstances that becomes something deeper and spiritual (and incredibly sexy). Their hunt for vengeance is suspenseful, and heart stopping, especially when they are in peril.
But there are other characters involved and that brings me to my only issue here. There is far too many points of view. Different characters , some of the kidnapped Kuri, others of slaves in residence, voice their perspectives of the action and their captivity. This format of multiple povs only serves to take the momentum away from the developing relationship between Terja and Anan and cuts the reader off from the anticipation and suspense of the ongoing hunts for the traders and the slaves. I understand why Jon Keys wanted us to see the “captives” side but there are other ways of establishing the terror they are undergoing while giving us the information he wanted to impart about the Varas people. Too many voices muddy the narrative and that happened here.
Multiple perspectives aside, this is a powerful, layered saga, one I hope will continue. The ending is a HFN, leaving so many options for a sequel to go forward. I certainly hope that Jon Keys is already hard at work to give us one.
Obsidian Sun (a solstice event much like our solar eclipse) is a must read novel by Jon Keys! If you love fantasy, mythology, natural history and imaginative world building combined with sex, love and adventure, then this is a story for you. I can’t wait to see what Jon Keys has in store for us next, hopefully a sequel! Fingers crossed.
Cover art by Paul Richmond. One of my favorite covers of the month, perhaps even the year. This cover clearly demonstrates the power of a cover to entice you into reading a story by a picture alone. Perfection.
We all find ways to run away. Some do it in seclusion, others in the arms of lovers. Since the death of his long-time partner, Caleb Maguire lives a quiet life in Australiaʼs Victorian high country with only his dog and horses for company. Each day is the same. There are no surprises—good or bad—until a major snowstorm hits his mountain and Caleb is called out to rescue a stranded tourist. The late night snow brings with it a lost soul who forces Caleb to reassess his solitary life. Paul Turner is a barista in the trendy Melbourne suburb of Carlton. He lives life totally in the moment, but a life of no commitments is about to change for this city boy. Three days is all it takes for Paul to fall hard for Caleb, and Paul returns to the city with a promise heʼll be back after turning his life around… but only when all the roads are clear.
A slinky cat for a witch may be a cliché, but add a whole bunch of tribal tattoos and an intolerance to garlic (seriously) and you have Isabelle Rowan.
Having moved to Australia from England (Gateshead) as a small child Isabelle now lives in a seaside suburb of Melbourne where she teaches film making and English. She is a movie addict who spends far too much money on traveling… but then again, life is to be lived.
Enter to win a signed paperback copy of Snowman, an electronic copy Snowman, and Snowman plus your choice of a back title. Must be 18 years of age or older. Link and prizes provided by the author.
“Through Rowan’s vivid descriptions you can feel the pull of the rocks, the vibrations that flutter through the soul that forever changes [the main characters].” —Scattered Hearts and Rogue Words
on “The Red Heart” Left absolutely breathless!! …This book was written with such an incredible depth of understanding, empathy and feeling from the author that is just draws the reader right in. If you haven’t read this book yet then you have definitely missed a true literary gem.” .
“I have always loved Isabelle Rowan’s writing since I read A Note in the Margin that was so original and deeply impactful I couldn’t believe she was a first-time published author.” —Jessewave ,
“The Red Heart is truly one of the best stories I have read in a long time.” Other titles by this author: —Sinfully…, on “A Note in the Margin” —Top 2 Bottom Reviews, on “The Red Heart”
Sequel to Devil’s Own The Wheel Mysteries: Book Three – Litha Festival
When Gus Goodwin’s friend and mentor, Juliette Hayes, asks him to find out who’s stealing small sums from the cashbox of her Moonlight Haven Coven, Gus agrees. What’s the worst that could happen? They catch a small-time thief and, with any luck, retrieve a few bucks. Gus enlists the help of his boyfriend, PI Niall Valentine, and Niall’s retired police officer father, Owain, to go undercover and solve the mystery.
On the night of the next full moon ritual, however, the coven is struck with a fatal blow.
Now Gus and Niall face more than a murder mystery. The coven is torn apart, and along comes an eccentric psychic and Tarot master—plus a familiar face both Gus and Niall had hoped was long gone. As fireworks ignite and wild cards are spread, Gus and Niall have their work cut out for them.
Last year after I finished reading the first two stories in The Wheel Mysteries, (Sparks & Drops, Devil’s Own) I interviewed the author, Susan Laine, to talk about the Wiccan religion and the series, which I love. One (of the many) things that came from that fascinating interview, was that this is an eight-book series, one story for each Wicca festival. Fireworks & Wild Cards focuses on the midsummer solstice festival of Litha, the celebration of the longest day of the year. Into the fabric of this story of murder, mystery and love, Laine continues to weave in-depth knowledge of the Wiccan religion, its fundamental tenets, history, rites and fight for acceptance. This unique framework has made this series not only one of my anticipated “reads” as each new story rolls out, but the author’s wide scope of knowledge and ability to make this religion accessible through her characters and plot make it a highlight of the year.
This book picks up directly after the events of Devil’s Own, a book that moves its characters, all of them, into a time of change and uncertainty. The main characters, Gus the Wiccan bookstore owner, and Niall, the private detective, are 3 months into their new relationship and it’s a little unsteady on its new feet. For some readers, that will be a little surprising. Most of us are used to books that move the romance and relationship right along at a steady clip. That doesn’t happen here (8 books remember). So the opening scenes and chapter where a simple conversation blows up into something unexpected might take some readers aback. That’s when you have to remind yourself that this is still a very new relationship between two very strong people who weren’t even sure they were looking for love when it smacked into them. Niall and Gus are still trying to find their way with each other and their new status as lovers. I really like that about this couple and story.. Their attraction and feelings for each other were quick to form but we never question that they are deeply felt and real. But like any believable couple, they question their partnership, feelings and course of the relationship. Miscommunication happens!
So believable a couple. I just love that and them.
Now add in two or more plots that move across a landscape of the Wiccan religion and things turn engrossing. Each story involves a self contained mystery and murders that normally get solved by the end of the story. However, there is also a larger intrigue at work in the series. And each book moves that umbrella storyline forward clue by incremental clue. How I love the layers the author weaves into these books and relationships.
Another strong element here and throughout the series are the multidimensional characters. This includes women and men. There are the members of the Moonlight Haven Coven, including head priestess, Juliette Hayes, Owain Valentine (Niall’s retired police officer dad), and the return of Autumnsong, an enigmatic persona as elusive as the mist. It’s primarily through their interactions with each other and the mysteries that center on the Coven and Gus that allows Laine to explore the rites and beliefs of the Wiccan religion. And the prejudices that exist against it.
The only issues I have with this book and the others is the fact that I feel they end too soon. Perhaps that’s because I always want more…of the couples and their relationships and more of the series storyline. I am beginning to see more than just the vague outline of a sinister plot at work, the clues are pointing a certain way but the speculation is killing me! And I have 5 more books to go!
So what’s in store for us in The Wheel Mysteries stories to come? Let’s hear it from Susan Laine herself.
From my interview with Susan Laine:
“There are eight wiccan festivals, or sabbats, in a year that coincide with similar festivals in other religious and secular calendars: Samhain or Halloween, Yule or Christmas, Imbolc or Candlemas, Ostara or Easter, Beltane or May Day, Litha or Midsummer Festival, Lughnasadh or Lammas, and lastly Mabon which has no historical or modern equivalent. The cycle of these eight seasonal celebrations together forms the Wheel of the Year.
Lughnasadh, the harvest festival, is up next, and that story will feature Autumnsong more prominently, as we get to know what makes him tick.”
I can’t wait! Until then you will find me rereading the first 3 stories, looking for clues and enjoying the start of an unusual and deeply loving relationship. And yes, I highly recommend this story and series!
Cover art by Brooke Albrecht. Love these covers. The design is beautiful, its relevance spot on, and it forms a cohesive branding with the other stories and covers. Great job.
ebook, 210 pages, also in paperback (DSP)
Published June 1st 2015 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781632169358
edition languageEnglish
seriesThe Wheel Mysteries #3
other editions (1)
The Wheel Mysteries to date in the order they should be read:
Sam Chancellor has been in love with the steam engine Old Bess since he was six years old. Well, maybe not literally, but even when he’s lost everything else in his life, he’s always had her. But now her place in his heart has been unexpectedly challenged. Her new driver, Ryan Saunders, is the embodiment of all Sam’s fantasies.
Ryan has written off Sam as just another geeky trainspotter—until the moment Ryan sees him without his usual shapeless hoodie, and realizes that for a nerd, Sam’s pretty built.
When Ryan overlooks Sam’s awkwardness long enough to suggest a hook-up, Sam seizes the opportunity—and Ryan—with both very eager hands. Finding common ground in their shared love of Bess, their time together is better than Sam ever dared dream.
But there’s a reason Ryan never talks about his past. And when Ryan’s job is threatened, Sam’s well-meaning intervention puts both Ryan and Bess in deadly danger.
It was that train on the cover that was the initial draw for me. I’ve always been a “train” lover. My grandfather worked for Pullman and I had free rides (at age 5 on) on the Silver Comet or Silver Meteor from Long Island to Miami growing up (something that would never be allowed today at the age I travelled by myself) to go see my grandparents. I can still feel those Pullman wool blankets pulled warmly around me and feel the comforting sway and rumbling as the train rolled its way south. Now comes a story about two very different young men brought together by their love for trains, especially for Bessie, or more accurately Elizabeth of Shrewsbury to give that old steam locomotive its formal name. And from the first paragraph, I was lost in this world of trains, small villages in England and two young men on their way to a relationship and love.
What an amazing story….even if you aren’t in thrall to trains as I am you will love this book. Joy Lynn Fielding brings this joy of trains, trainspotting, and Ryan and Sam alive to such a degree that I felt I walked along side of them in town or rumbling along on the rails with Sam, Ryan and Bessie every step of the way.
Honestly, I don’t know if any element stands out more than the others from this narrative, all are so well done. The characters are layered, beautifully defined and, even more, I felt as though I had never met them before on a page in any novel. Sam starts off as a naif. Sam is tall, prone to wearing shapeless clothes and hoodies, living alone in the house bequeathed to him by his uncle. His outlook on life and people is full of innocence, goodheartedness, and simplicity. Sam comes across as though he is someone who has been sheltered from the harder elements of life, which he sort of has.
I’m sure you are thinking…”well, I’ve read characters like Sam before”. But that’s such a small part of who Sam actually is. This character is one that continually surprises you with his depth and grace. And that certainly goes for his impact upon Ryan Saunders, a more jaded, world weary young man who has found his passion finally in life….as the engineer for Bessie as he calls her. Ryan has raised walls of steel, appropriate for someone who spends his days inside a “steel horse”, around himself for protection. Outwardly he projects the hard facade he’s created over the years, mostly due to his upbringing, his father’s attitude towards his son and Ryan’s past excesses as a wild, partying youth. But inside? Something else has started to grow and it started with Bessie. Ryan stumbled by accident into his current profession but now she’s everything to him.
Oh, Bessie or Bess or Elizabeth of Shrewsbury. What ever the name she is called she shines as a major character in her own right. Bessie rumbles her way into your heart just as clearly as she does to Sam and Ryan. Fielding either has a passion for trains, and knows her stuff or her research is so thorough and deep that it flows easily into every part of her story, making Bessie sings as she steams her way through the plot and into our minds and consciousness. The trains are pulled into their “sheds” at night, pull up next to the platforms, walk about the footboards. There are rail enthusiasts’ message boards and train schedules and, oh, when Sam gets started on various explanations as to how Bessie or any type of train works, well, those conversation not only feel believable but you will find yourself grinning with fondness as Sam’s passion spills forth in wave after verbal wave to the bemusement of whatever soul he is talking too. I could hear Sam, I could see Ryan driving Bessie…Fielding makes it all so real and immediate in every scene that you don’t want to put the book down.
Here is the first time Sam ever steps inside of Bessie, courtesy of an invite from Ryan…
With a quick glance at Ryan to make sure he really was allowed, he crossed over to her and reached up to press a hand against her gleaming metal side.
“Hi, Bess,” he said. His voice was supposed to be too low for Ryan to hear him, but it was filled with such love and warmth that he was glad he could hear it. Just yesterday Ryan would have laughed himself sick at the idea of a trainspotter wanting to talk to a train, but now he saw what it meant to Sam, he no longer felt the urge to laugh. Especially not when he remembered the way he always slapped her in greeting and farewell and most days said something to her as he did so. He gave them a moment together, then climbed up onto the footplate.
“You want to come up?” he asked.
It was the stupidest question ever asked, he realised, as Sam scrambled up after him, his face alight and eager. Gazing at the array of controls in front of him, Sam grinned until Ryan’s face ached in sympathy. He couldn’t seem to stop touching Bessie, his long, sensitive fingers caressing every part of her. Somewhere in the back of his mind when he’d invited Sam to see Bessie, Ryan had thought about pushing him up against her and fucking him, because he was pretty sure Sam would be halfway to coming just from being so close to Bessie. But once he saw the delight in Sam’s face as he looked around, those thoughts faded from his mind, especially when Sam wanted to know how she was to drive. Not just the nuts and bolts of it, but how it felt.
How did he know deep inside that she was ready to start moving? Yes, there were all the gauges, but was there something more? As Sam hung on his every word, warmth stirred inside Ryan at being the recipient of such open, genuine admiration. He couldn’t remember ever being admired for anything except having a rich father or a good body, and the respect with which Sam seemed to regard him felt like spring sunshine after a long, hard winter.
He told Sam how she was a bit crabby first thing in the mornings, how sometimes her gauges said she was ready to go, but she still juddered as the wheels bit and held. And he told him something he’d never mentioned to another soul—the way she downright sulked when the carriages were first coupled to her, despite having more than enough power to pull them. It meant he had to nurse her those first few hundred yards until she got over it and seemed content to puff away happily. Finally, they left the cab and after one final, slow, walk around her, Sam turned to Ryan. “Thank you,” he said, and the depth of feeling in his voice was like nothing Ryan had ever heard before.
Oh, all the emotions and thoughts flowing from those two men standing inside the locomotive they both love. And its just the beginning of the journey for them both to something quite remarkable. There is no case of instant love here. A quiet crush rolls into the walls erected by long time anonymous hookups but that connection only starts to work to pull them together when other outside forces make Ryan look behind the nebbish exterior that Sam projects to the glowing human being inside. As that happens we get to meet even more wonderfully quirky and believable characters, like Mrs. Verity, a old friend of Sam’s and his Uncle Ken, Mabel the spider who lives inside Sam’s shower to Ryan’s dismay and so many others. The town of Cardale is an authentic an element as all the rest here.
But its through Sam’s love of trains, his passion as a trainspotter (what we call train buffs here in the US) and Ryan’s love for his profession as a driver of Bessie that raises this story above the vast sea of romances out there. Trains are a symbolic image for so many things, journeys, sex, power, you name it and you can probably find a passage some place where trains are used as a metaphor or embodiment of an idea. They are romance, and mysterious, and have an allure that has never quite faded. That power is present here in Blowing Off Steam. Its in the descriptions of the trains, of the emotions they engender and the love people feel for them deeply on so many levels.
Here is Sam at the beginning of the novel running to catch a glimpse of a train….
“Gotta go—the London express is due!”
He didn’t quite run, but his heart was still pounding fit to burst by the time he emerged onto the sunlit platform and made his way up the steep flight of stairs onto the footbridge that crossed the tracks. He’d need to avoid the ticket office for the next few days, till she’d got another victim in her crosshairs.
In the meantime, he hadn’t been lying—the London train was due in three minutes’ time. He walked across the bridge until he was standing over the middle of the track down which it would come. And he stood and waited.
He heard it before he saw it. When it became visible in the clear air of early morning, it looked like some mythical dragon with sun glinting on its metal hide as it wound through the countryside and rounded the long curve into the station. He grabbed at the handrail on the bridge as the train thundered down the track towards him. Although he knew it had slowed for safety reasons, it was moving with such force, such power, that it seemed it was coming at him like a cannonball. It swept beneath him, and the deafening sound it made and the smell of diesel left hanging in the air after it had passed were the most perfect things in the world. Its speed and noise had the footbridge trembling slightly, and he knew how it felt—there was something about that much power that left him weak-kneed and gasping.
Blowing Off Steam will make you feel the power of those moments too. I love this story. It brought back so many happy memories and made me want to go grab a ticket and ride the rails once more. Blowing Off Steam by Joy Lynn Fielding also made me feel as though I had never encountered another romance story like hers The men, Sam and Ryan and their path towards romance feels like new territory, an uncharted journey towards love that I hadn’t read before. It sparkled with joy, it overflowed with texture and love and authenticity. It’s a book I will pick up again and again because I love it so and will need a trip back to this universe and couple….and Bessie of course. Blowing Off Steam is highly recommended and I expect to find it among my Best of 2015 at the end of the year.
I will leave you with a Youtube of Steam Engines underway….
Cover art by Syneca is as great as the story behind it. Love it.
Sam Chancellor has been in love with the steam engine Old Bess since he was six years old. Well, maybe not literally, but even when he’s lost everything else in his life, he’s always had her. But now her place in his heart has been unexpectedly challenged. Her new driver, Ryan Saunders, is the embodiment of all Sam’s fantasies.
Ryan has written off Sam as just another geeky trainspotter—until the moment Ryan sees him without his usual shapeless hoodie and realizes that, for a nerd, Sam’s pretty built.
When Ryan overlooks Sam’s awkwardness long enough to suggest a hook-up, Sam seizes the opportunity—and Ryan—with both very eager hands. Finding common ground in their shared love of Bess, their time together is better than Sam ever dared dream.
But there’s a reason Ryan never talks about his past. And when Ryan’s job is threatened, Sam’s well-meaning intervention puts both Ryan and Bess in deadly danger.
Warning: Contains train geekery, bed-hogging, a hero with no experience and another with plenty to spare, and a spider called Mabel.
Pages or Words: 66,000 words
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M Romance
Blowing Off Steam by Joy Lynn Fielding
“You’re kind of built for a nerd, aren’t you?” Ryan said. “I guess trainspotting’s a more active hobby than I’d thought.”
Sam should have walked away because this guy was insufferable. Except there was humour gleaming in those eyes as well as something else. Something that if he wasn’t entirely losing his mind was actual, sexual interest.
In him, Sam Chancellor.
“It’s all that running alongside the engines to get the numbers down,” he blurted out before he could stop himself.
To his amazement, Ryan laughed. A true laugh that caused his eyes to crinkle at the corners. It made him even more gorgeous than he already was.
“Ryan Saunders,” he said. “I drive old Bessie.”
“Bessie?” Sam was horrified at the heresy. “She’s Bess. She’s always been Bess.”
“Given I’m the one whose hands have been over every inch of her, I guess she’s allowing me intimacies the general public doesn’t get,” Ryan said.
The low seductive voice and the thought of Ryan’s hands stroking over him the way they did over Bess meant Sam was getting hard. He clutched his satchel in front of him like some sort of shield, except that wasn’t helping at all because it was pressed against his dick and, God above, he was about to get a hard-on, here and now, right in front of Ryan Saunders.
“You haven’t told me your name,” Ryan said.
“Sam,” he choked out. “Sam Chancellor, and I have to go.”
He put his head down and fled.
About the author:
Joy Lynn Fielding lives in a small English market town, where she indulges her passions for vintage aircraft, horse-riding and gardening (though not all at the same time).
Joy has a tendency to wax lyrical about the fascinating facts she discovers during her research for books. Thankfully she has a very patient Labrador who has a gift for looking interested in what she’s saying while he waits for the food to arrive.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions. Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $20 Amazon gift card
Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway
Finding love in the ashes was easy. Building a life together? Don’t make Fate laugh.
After spending the first part of his life chasing pretty girls, love has finally come to Ryan in the form of John, a tall, lanky, red-headed landscape architect with wide shoulders and a five-o’clock shadow.
For the first time in his life, love feels easy. Hell, he even ran into a burning building for John and his son, and he’d do it again if he had to. But telling his father and brothers “I’m gay. I’ve met a man”? That’s a bumpy ride he’s not looking forward to.
For John, loving Ryan is as natural as breathing. Now if only the rest of his life would fall into place. Dealing with his teen son is complicated enough, but with his ex-wife causing trouble and his daughter wanting to move in, John’s house—and his relationship with Ryan—threaten to split at the seams.
Would one month without a new surprise knocking him upside the heart be asking too much? If the sound of Fate’s laughter is any indication, the answer must be yes…
Kaje Harper’sThe Rebuilding Year was one of my favorite books of 2012. It was the story of two seemingly “straight” men at an unsettled point in their lives, a time where they are discarding their past and trying to rebuild a future for themselves, and in John’s case, hopefully for his children as well. That novel told the story of ex-firefighter Ryan Ward, disabled on the job and now going back to school for a medical degree. He’s still dealing with the loss of his beloved profession, having nightmares over the fire that damaged his leg, and dealing with an unsettled vision of his future. On the college campus, Ryan meets John Barrett, a man as familiar with loss as Ryan is. John lost his marriage and kids when his wife cheated on him. And when the divorce was final, he watched his wife move the kids to California in search of a new life with a new man. Two men whose lives were shattered by events out of their control. Two men who thought they were straight but whose strong attraction to each other has them rethinking their lives and future.
Now comes the sequel, Life, Some Assembly Required (The Rebuilding Year #2) and, with this story, I found myself falling back in love with John and Ryan, and their relationship. Never quite the fan of the “gay for you” trope, Harper made a serious argument for John and Ryan’s feelings in the first book. While John had married and Ryan was considered a “hounddog” with women, both men had had attractions to men in the past, while not quite acting on them. So the story became more one of old desires rekindled and recognized then a purely straight man falling for another. We watched them work through many emotional issues as well as acceptance by John’s children. And that first story ended with Ryan telling his father that he was finally serious about someone for the first time in his life, and its with a man. A wonderful ending that packed a huge emotional punch.
Life, Some Assembly Required picks up directly after the events in The Rebuilding Year. I won’t go into detail because that is simply a book to be savored and a must read for this novel. One (of many) of the things I appreciate so about Kaje Harper’s writing is her ability to make her stories feel so real. Her characters and their lives aren’t enveloped in some softly glowing light where everything works out smoothly and with relative ease. That’s better left for the fairytale romances. No, Harper’s characters and their lives reflect the grittiness and intimacy of people living every day realistically and authentically. It involves boredom, obstacles little and big, schedules that get too busy and the hiccups and burps that relationships go through. Its the work the couple needs to do in order to have the partnership they want. And that includes two men who love each other deeply such as John and Ryan do.
This book is full of life’s pebbles and boulders that get scattered in the way of their happiness and much of the joy in this story is watching them deal with those problems together (and figuring out that they need to come at these issues as a couple). That doesn’t always make for easy reading, just throughly rewarding and satisfactory one, at least in my opinion. Why? Because life isn’t lived in a bubble. For John and Ryan, the relationship they are building together includes John’s children (who I adored and who went through some surprising emotional turmoil of their own), an ex wife’s determined to have their own way albeit one that is understandable from her point of view, and Ryan’s family with expectations of their own for Ryan which doesn’t include another man.
Throughout the story, its one of constant adjustments…in plans of every sort from dinner to vacations. It’s the ever deepening joy of a daily life together along with the typical hurt feelings, and occasional miscommunication that involves. On an intimate level, we watch the men deal with all the repercussions of their love for each other and their decision to move in together. And how that effects their professional lives, families and the community around them. I love how Harper lets us see into their decision making process and relationship dynamics through their conversations, actions and lovemaking. Harper allows her characters the strength and depth that lets them act responsibility and respectfully towards themselves and those around them. Yes, this is a book about grownups in a thoughtful adult relationship. How I appreciated that tone and type of character as well.
Sometimes the issues are raw with emotion and the painful aftermath of the disappointments that can occur when hopes and family collide. Yes, there were times I was so frustrated with the events that happen, both with John’s ex wife (again not a villain but a woman doing what she thinks is necessary to survive) and again with Ryan’s family. But their reactions and actions towards John and Ryan are pretty realistic and believable in their own way. I appreciated that too. And it makes the ending that much sweeter for all the hardship both men endured to get there.
I hope this isn’t the end of the story for John and Ryan. I want to see them married now that Ryan has finished his degree. I want to know what happens next to their mixed families and their future together. If you are listening, Kaje, pretty please, can we have another? Until I have an answer, I will try and be content with Life, Some Assembly Required. It’s a perfect sequel to The Rebuilding Year, and a new favorite of mine. I highly recommend them both. Please read them in the order they were written, its the best way to understand John and Ryan’s journey to love and a relationship that feels so wonderful and real.
Cover art by Angela Waters. I like this cover, although I have to say I prefer the cover models in the first cover, they better fit my own idea of John and Ryan. But its warm, and real, just like the story within.
ebook
Expected publication: June 9th 2015 by Samhain Publishing
original title Life, Some Assembly Required
ISBN139781619230743
edition languageEnglish
series The Rebuilding Year #2
Books in the Series to Date:
The Rebuilding Year (The Rebuilding Year #1)
Life, Some Assembly Required (The Rebuilding Year, #2)
Space is not always filled with adventures and glory. Not everybody goes racing off to battle evil and save the galaxy. Between the rebels, pirates, royals, and spies are the everyday people who work hard just to get by and ensure everyone gets home safe. Less Than Three Press presents a collection of tales about the ordinary folks who keep the stars running.
The Prince and the Programmer by Cassandra Pierce
The Aurora Conspiracy by Lexi Ander
About a Bot by Andrea Speed
Flight Risk by Talya Andor
Survival by Leona Carver
Take romance, throw it out into space and then gather together some wonderful authors to write their take on this fabulous trope and what do you have? Keeping The Stars Running Anthology! And each story couldn’t be more different from each other. Here they are with my comments and rating in the order they appear in the anthology:
The Prince and the Programmer by Cassandra Pierce. 3.5 stars
Probably the closest story here to a familiar romance plot. Food service mech/chef? is abducted but soon finds his new situation and “Prince” much more to his liking than his old one. I thought the characters were charming and the situation sort of funny. It was a sweet if not totally memorable way to open the anthology.
About a Bot by Andrea Speed. 4 stars out of 5
I loved/was frustrated by this terrific story by Andrea Speed. Speed creates this complex universe, complete with on going intergalactic war, one in which the humans aren’t doing terribly well. The main character, Tahir, is the Nebula space station’s mechanic who keeps all their robots in working order. He also rescues and repairs older bots, giving them names and making them his “pets” with personalities. In fact, Tahir is far more comfortable with his bots then with the rest of the crew on his station. I loved this character. He’s believable, fascinating, and when it comes to his interactions with his bots then Tahir becomes irresistible. As are his bots, including Spider and the adorable Bagel bot and Tank.
I loved this story so much that the ending, or perhaps lack of one frustrated me with its tantalizing possibilities. How I would love to see this made into a full length novel. Anyone listening?
The Aurora Conspiracy by Lexi Ander. 4 stars out of 5
In the Aurora Conspiracy, Lexi Ander’s takes ecological concerns and mining into space with no less than 2 completely different species and a conspiracy to boot. Regin Valenta, crane operator for the Aurora Minerals and Rare Metals concern is being interrogated by constables from The Fraternity, a galactic law enforcement agency. One of them, a Nythlithian, Constable Markari Gan’Sey, shares a painful past with Regin, although only one remembers. The story becomes a dance between the main characters, as their past returns with its angst-filled memories and their attraction to each other flares back to life amidst an investigation into illegal mining practices on the planet below. It’s suspenseful, layered, and marvelous.
Flight Risk by Tayla Andor 5 stars out of 5
One of my favorite stories in the anthology. Again, we have an interplanetary war in progress and an embattled Kiel Navarro’s work as a mechanic in the Gear hangar, keeping the Gryphon wings in perfect operating order for their pilots. Andor’s world building is amazing and the author’s attention to detail bring this story and crews to life. Even the smallest touches, such as Kiel being half deaf where as most of the other pilots are deaf because of the noise of the engines and conditions they work in, give the readers a authentic feel for the environment and safety factors of the job Kiel does and the hangers in which he and his coworkers make their living. And it’s not a very nice one.
The mechanics are being harassed, treated as lowly servants, who hide in their quarters for fear of retaliation. And its by whom that is so startling. A new Gryphon pilot, Marco Lafaele, a replacement for a recent death in the squad Wing Bravo, shakes up the status quo by showing an interest in Kiel, something that is just not done). His actions and determination not to follow along with his fellow pilots starts to put cracks in the SOP in the Hangers. And ripples from the fallout spread throughout Cadlow Station. I loved that Andors created the mechanic equipment down to the MagLens Kiel is using to augment his failing vision to the derogatory nicknames they earn him.
There is mystery, romance, gritty war time battles, and finally a white knuckle ride to the rescue. Just an outstanding story on every level.
and finally….
Survival by Leona Carver. 3.5 t0 4.5 rating, really this story confounds me.
Not a romance. I love Leona Carver so many aspects of this story didn’t surprise me while others absolutely did. Just when I thought I knew where the author was taking this story, it took off in an unexpected direction. And ending. We start off on the Velikaya Knyazhna, a giant colonist ship on its new to a new planet. Most of its crew is “sleeping” in order to make it to their destination without aging too much. But an emergency sees the “ship” and its caretakers waking up some of the scientists to examine the cause of the emergency and fix it…before its too late.
Valentin Mashire, was trained to work on the planet, frozen on Earth and then shipped up to the “orbiting giant” in a crates, along with many others. He’s a botanical scientist, a park technician trained to work in the terrestial parkland on board that’s necessary to terraform the new planet they will land on. The length of the voyage? 100 years. Plenty of time for things to go wrong and they do. And that’s where ship’s Security officer, Fyodor Bendlin comes in.
I can’t go any further. To do so, takes away the best of the surprises found within this story. I loved the descriptions of the park inside the ship and the ship itself. But the romance I wanted to happen was never going to be part of this story. No, this is all about Survival. But it’s the “who” that is trying to survive that will shock you as will the ending. Did I like this story? Not really. But did it fascinate me with its mythology and universe building? Yes. And it floored me with the surprising revelations and erotica.
What a great anthology. I don’t know that I would have ended it with Survival. I think that Flight Risk would have grounded this anthology better with its more substantial ending. However, there is such variety, a true smorgasbord of stories, that everyone will find something to love.
I recommend this series to all lovers of science fiction, romance and the possibilities of tomorrow.
Cover art by Aisha Akeju. Love this cover artist and this cover is another splendid example of their work. Great job.
ebook, also available in print
Published May 13th 2015 by Less Than Three Press (first published 2014)
original titleKeep the Stars Running
ISBN139781620045305
edition languageEnglish
To become the man he’s meant to be, one cowboy will have to be the man he never wanted anyone to know he was…
Ryder Dent is a true-blue cowboy. A devoted son, husband and father, but one who is living a costly lie. When they were both young, Ryder and his closest female friend Andy thought they’d found the perfect solution to both their problems—she was single and pregnant, and he was secretly gay—so they got married and raised Jonas together.
When Ryder gets hurt at a party, his son’s new pediatrician comes to the rescue. The connection between Ryder and Dr. Declan Winters is sudden, powerful, and undeniable. Ryder loves Andy and the family they’ve created together—but they both need more. Can they pursue their hearts’ desire without destroying the life they’ve built and losing the son they love?
I have come to love Z. A.. Maxfield’s Cowboy series, each story provides such an interesting group of characters and couples all loosely intwined. And most are having to deal with issues of acceptance…of their themselves, sexuality, and their ability to love. My Cowboy Promises, the 4th in the Cowboy series, connection’s to the previous story is that the ranch that Tripp Triplehorn and Lucho Reyes went to work on is owned by a powerful, controlling rancher Sterling Chandler, father to Andrea, wife of Ryder Dent and mother to their son. But as usual in a ZAM story, what you see on the surface is illusion, the reality and truth lies somewhere underneath for them all.
What an awful, stressful situation the readers get dumped into. Ryder Dent saw his life’s (and father’s expectations) explode when, as a teenager getting ready to go to college, instead marries his best friend in high school, a girl pregnant with a rodeo star’s baby. That the rodeo star wants nothing to do with either Andrea or the baby goes without question as she’s underage. Instead Andrea turns to her best friend to save her and they marry to the dismay/disgust/condemnation of their parents and community. But these kids are hiding an even bigger secret…Ryder is gay and Andrea knew the truth before they got married.
Now its five years later, and while both love Jonas, their son, neither Ryder or Andrea is particularly happy. Maxfield is able to let us intimately into Ryder and Andrea’s lives, see the stress and exhaustion both young people are going through as well as the continuing condemnation of parents and community they continue to live with. All that while still trying to lead lives of courage and stability for their growing son. It’s just feels all so real. Ryder at 23 is just realizing the extent of his sacrifice. He’s lonely, he’s working at his father’s store shouldering all the responsibilities and duties but none of the recognition and gratitude one would hope for from his disapproving parent. He shares a bed (platonically) with Andrea in the small house bought for them by her wealthy father who never lets them forget that fact or how much he despises his daughter’s choices. Andrea too is beginning to hate their lifestyle. She’s always been a bit wild and talented and wants to sing as a career, something her father would never allow. The only bright spot in their lives? Jonas a boy everyone loves deeply. But as Ryder is not his real father, that too becomes an intense source of pain and stress, especially now that the difference in their eye colors is being remarked on in town.
I think reading this story, delving into the lives of Ryder and Andrea, most of us will recognize the gritty authenticity of lives lived with the “quiet desperation” that Z. A. Maxfield presents us with here. Dead-end jobs, disapproving parents, pressure to conform to small town values and expectations, along with any potential way out of their situation feeling almost impossible. That theme has been a reliable source for books, songs and movies for ages and it always works because that scenario resonates with those listening, reading or watching it unfold. And mostly because there is a part of us, all of us, somewhere inside those characters at one point in our lives. How I understood these people and cared about them from page 1.
The status quo of their lives, already shaky, shatters completely when the town doctor retires and a new GP moves into his practice and house. That would be Dr. Declan Winters, who has his own demons to exercise and naivete when it comes to small town pressure and disapproval. Declan was a little more of a stretch for me. I found it a little unrealistic, at first, that given he had met with the older town doctor, been filled in on the town’s prejudices and still thought the doctor was overstating the situation. But maybe that’s because I am so familiar with small town life, something that “big city” folk might find charming on the exterior until reality intrudes. Perhaps Declan is not such a stretch after all.
Through dialog and scenes Maxfield brings this increasingly rocky situation to life. We have a gay new doctor in town, one who is quick to recognize the attraction that Ryder feels towards him, an attraction that confounds him when he has to treat Ryder and find out the cause of the wound is an accident by Ryder’s son. We understand it when he believes Ryder is straight, why not? Everyone else does. Then there is poor Ryder,dealing with his “gayness” for real for the first time in his life when he can’t get the good doctor out of his mind or nightly dreams. It’s a situation where hurt feelings, expectation, and miscommunication abound. Then throw in an unhappy wife, a son with questions and it gets downright explosive. What a manner in which to examine your sexuality, come of age and come out as the person you truly are. That’s the fight in front of Ryder for most of the story.
I think some readers will get a little frustrated with Ryder’s inability to “grow some spine” as his and Andrea’s father exclaim. But remember his age, the time and place of his youth. He’s respectful and one accustomed to shouldering responsibilities for everything that comes his way. And he’s young. I found him to be the most real character here. I understood him and his background supports beautifully his actions throughout the story. Great job, ZAM.
There will be places you will need to bring out the tissues and other scemes as hot as the Texas sun. Did I love this story? You betcha! In fact, I love the entire series and highly recommend them all. But My Cowboy Promises? This might be my favorite story yet of the series. Grab it up today and decide for yourself.
Cover art by ?. I* like the cover, in fact I like all the covers for this series, from the design to the color scheme.
One careless, public sign of affection cost Daniel Pierce’s lover his life at the hands of a hate-filled mob. Grief-stricken, Daniel retreated from society to a sheep farm in the wilds of the north. Years later, Gregory Tobin erupts into his solitary life.
Buy It Here
Buy It Here
Buy It Here
Buy It Here
Buy It Here
Buy It Here
Buy It Here
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 